The Effects of Question Type and Question Position on EFL Senior High School Students’ Text Retention

• Main Authors: Yun-Wen Vivian Shih, 施韻文
• Other Authors: Dr. Hsi-Chin Janet Chu
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/23272958108412289571

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 英語學系 === 103 === The study investigates the effects of adjunct question type, integrative questions versus factual questions, and adjunct question position, during-reading versus post-reading, on EFL learners’ reading comprehension as indicated by the amount and the level of information recalled. Sixty-two twelfth graders participated in this study. They read two texts on two different topics (Dolphin and Animal Testing), responding to two different question types placed at two different question positions. With topic, question type, and question position counter-balanced, the students were assigned to one of the eight treatment conditions. Data collection consisted of two sessions. In each session, the students read one of the two texts, accompanied by one type of questions placed in one of the two question positions. After reading, they filled out a questionnaire on text perceptions of familiarity, difficulty, and interest, and on the perceptions of the question feasibility in terms of text memory, understanding of text structure, and understanding of text main idea. After ten-minute break, they produced their recall of the text content. The same procedure was followed in both sessions. For data analysis, recall data were coded using weighted pausal unit system, with pausal units weighted from 1 to 4 points based on the importance of the information, which were computed into percentage for analysis. With text topic, question type, and question position as the independent variables, ANOVA analyses on percentage of total and 4 component recalls and on text perceptions reveal several findings. First of all, albeit neither question type nor question position made a significant difference on the students’ total recall and recall of four levels, topic was found to have an effect. The students reading Dolphin Text produced consistently less recall than those reading Animal Text for total recall and recall of level one, two, and four, and the students rated Dolphin Text as significantly more difficult than Animal Text. Secondly, for the easier Animal Text, integrative questions boosted more recall of level four ideas, while for the more difficult Dolphin Text, factual questions enhanced more recall of level four ideas. Thirdly, for integrative questions, post reading questions resulted in more recall of level two ideas than during reading questions; on the contrary, for factual questions, during reading questions enhanced more recall of level two ideas. Finally, on perceptions of the feasibility of adjunct questions, ANOVA analysis, with question type and question position as the independent variables, shows the students considered during-reading questions better assisted their understanding of text structure than post-reading questions. The findings indicate that in terms of reinforcing recall of higher-level text information, integrative questions may be a more effective textual support than factual questions for easier texts. The findings also suggest that in terms of increasing recall of lower-level text information, integrative questions placed altogether at the end of text are more effective. Above all, reading materials of appropriate difficulty are essential for learners to achieve maximal reading comprehension.